John Turner, Chief Responsible Officer at the Lincolnshire Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, said that plans were progressing on the proposals and that additional capital is expected for the changes.

The plan, which includes a review of the county’s hospital services, is being led by the Lincolnshire STP and will set out plans for healthcare in the region in the coming years.
Speaking at an event organised by Healthwatch Lincolnshire, Mr Turner said that he expects the plans to be brought before the public next year.
“A lot of the work is still progressing and it’s progressing well,” he said.
“I anticipate that it will not be until 2019 that we will be able to take that out to the public and we are hoping that it is going to be as early as possible in the year.
“Our plans have to stand up in terms of being clinically sound, sensible, sustainable and financially viable before we are able to share that thinking with the population.”
The plans are expected to go before NHS England who will then decide whether or not the proposals are fit to go out for public consultation.
Many are concerned about the slow progress of the Lincolnshire STP with county councillors calling for an end to the “ongoing saga”.
Councillor Carl Macey, Chair of the Health Scrutiny Panel for Lincolnshire, previously said that he felt there was no progress with the plans.
“I think we’re not really any further forwards,” he said.
“We’re told that we’re looking at the new year before we’re going to get this masterplan as they are now classing it.
“We just want to see that they are getting out there and that they start consulting with the people, because we want to see what those services are going to look like.
“At the moment in time it feels stagnant and it’s not moving forward in the benefits of our residents.”
An initial draft report outlining a required £205 million investment in the county’s three main hospitals and the downgrading of Grantham A&E was unanimously rejected by Lincolnshire County Council in December 2016.